Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are set to compete in the Divisional Round for sixth consecutive season. The circumstances, however, are a little different.
Mahomes and company have not played an away playoff game during his tenure as the quarterback, something that is set to change for the Chiefs when it travels to Buffalo for next week’s game.
Something nearly as rare is the Chiefs being an underdog. This has only happened one other time in the playoffs, which was Super Bowl LVII. However, this will also need to be updated as the Buffalo Bills are currently 2.5 point favorites heading into the heavyweight matchup.
This development is not necessarily surprising given the Chiefs 2023 season, as the team went 11-6 and finished as the No. 3 seed in the Conference. This was the most losses the team had in a season since 2017, before Mahomes was the starter, and this Chiefs group looked less dangerous than the previous iterations at certain points of the year.
However, that does not mean betting against Kansas City is a good idea. The Chiefs looked rock-solid in its 26-7 Wild Card Round victory over the Miami Dolphins and are defending Super Bowl Champions for a reason.
The Bills will be a difficult opponent as always, but the Chiefs significant playoff experience and familiarity with the cold weather will make them a difficult opponent to hold off. Additionally, Mahomes possesses an impressive 38-11 record on the road during the regular season, so the change in scenery shouldn’t play too much of a factor.
Mahomes and the Chiefs will look to improve to 2-0 as playoff underdogs Sunday when the game kicks off at 6:30 P.M. ET.
